When it rains it pours

[Lizardking]

Saturday it got pretty warm here, so I fired up the a/c in the house.

Long story short, tomorrow the a/c guy will be installing an entire new system @ $3500.

There goes my paint job this summer, maybe even this year.

Im nursing the hot water heater along, but it will have to be replaced before winter.

I just installed 3 new exterior doors.

Houses can be a money pit.

[gregpro50]

I had to replace my roof last year, the well pump went over the winter, and this year I am going to try to replace the siding and install new windows. I am a home improvement contractor and can get this stuff at cost and install it myself and it is still costing me a fortune.

My other half then wants the kitchen remodeled but I want to build a new storage barn. I doubt I am going to win that discussion.

It never ends when you own a house...

[J. Alden]

You have that nursery done yet?

[gregpro50]

Oh Crap. I knew I was forgeting something. I still have to do that too. New carpet, paint, furniture, and all that fun stuff. I think the kid will enjoy the storage barn more when he is older rather than new paint and carpet in his bedroom but I dont think I am even going to try to submit that proposal.

[mmb617]

Man do I know what you guys are talking about! We bought the king of all fixer-uppers some 25 years ago. It was so bad, we always said that we bought the land, and the house was just tossed in. Over the years we replaced the roof, all the plumbing, all the wiring, all the windows and doors, gutted every room, added out to make the kitchen bigger, sided it and finally last year built the garage I always wanted. Needless to say this put a serious damper on spending any money on cars.

So I'm thinking finally the house is done, maybe I can get my car where I want it, but no, now we need a new HVAC system. That's the way it is, houses are just big money vacuums. In some ways I guess it's just a matter of what your prioritys are, I know people who drive brand new cars and live in houses that need work bad.

I keep thinking that if I just live long enough, someday I'll have money to spend on my car. It's just hard to keep postponing what you want to do because you know there are other things that need done first.

[Hissing Cobra]

I FEEL YOUR PAIN! In January, we had to replace both my furnace and hot water heater. It cost us $3,000. It probably would have cost more if it were not for me painting many rooms in the contractor's brother's house for $18.00 per hour. He now wants me to go to his house and paint some rooms for him and his wife. I also picked up another job from his other brother too and I'll be working for them this upcoming weekend.

I've been told that it's very common to pay 5-6K for a furnace.

[mmb617]

I got one estimate for the new furnace and A/C installed $6,952! I don't think so! I pretty much did all the work on the house myself so far and it looks like I can buy all the parts for about 3 grand and install it myself.

The worst part is, the work we did when we first moved in is 25 years old now, about time to start all over again. Ah the joys of home ownership, it just never ends.

[Lizardking]

Im not planning on staying in the house forever. I just hate dumping money into it. Im not an Arkansas kind of guy. As soon as I can pull it off Im moving to Tucson. I was hoping this year, but these kind of setbacks keep pushing my departure date furthur into the future.

[mmb617]

I'm sure it's even worse putting money into a house you don't intend to stay in, but you have to so as to retain it's resale value. That would really suck.

[frankiesaysrelax]

Did you call anyone else? Home A/C repairs are a notorious rip-off. A few years back some consumer group did a sting where they took a perfectly good A/C system with one bad like $5 part and had a whole bunch of contractors come in to repair it. I think there was one honest guy that told them there was only a small problem and it would cost like $50 to repair (parts and labor). Everybody else tried to sell them whole a new system for thousands of dollars.

[Lizardking]

Ive owned this house 10 years. The compresser was here when I bought the house, the coil is orginal circa 1968ish.

So its due.

The unit is also undersized for the house, its a 2 ton, I need at least a 3 ton.

Ive owned two different houses here, the one Im in now I was useing as a rental.

The company has always done my ac/heat work. They are realiable, competitive, and have always given me great service.

Its a tough bullet to bite, but in the south the ac is something you look at when buying a house. It may not help sell when the time comes, but a old or poor condition ac will sure hurt.